Is it 4 pm yet??
Good morning. This is me. And, I’m happy to say that we’ve made it back to work.It is now 9 am. And, we’re here giving it a start. We got in 15 minutes early, and we are happy to say that we got a parking spot UP FRONT!! I think at least one staff wasn’t so happy. Right after I parked and got out of the car, then Stephanie drove past and I saw the look on her face. It’s the same look she’s been giving me. I’d gone too many years being able to park, not to get a parking spot. It felt very good to be able to park. It made me feel happy, even though I’d adapted somewhat to parking further back where I had to walk.
I think tomorrow I will try coming 15 minutes earlier yet. I’m still coming after Brandi, Sue, Maria, and Candice. I will probably, not be able to fix that problem, but I will be more secure with the parking … I was too close today. I want some margin for error. Plus, I found today that the traffic was much better … Even though I waited an extra 6-7 minutes for the car to heat up … I got to work in about 23-25 minutes. That’s pretty good … there was no long waits. It could only get better yet those 15 minutes earlier, AND it would put me on even “half-hours.” That part was hard for me to think through today. Rich was up earlier, so that part was a little different too today. I liked it … everything seemed to work.
I talked to Sr. for a few moments at the door. She asked me if there was anything extra that I accomplished. I told her I’d met with the boys a few times and that I’d gotten out to the zoo twice at night. She seemed to be glad to hear that. I also told her that I’d gone the entire time without thinking of work, medical, or bills. I’m not sure how good that was, but I think she said GOOD! But, I’m pretty sure she’ll want me back on the saddle today. Then she talked about how she did.
She said she worked through the whole time and got a lot done. But, she also said she did the holidays with her Brother and family, and several outings over to the Sisters for celebrations around Christmas, New Years, and for when Sisters from Mount St. Josephs came down. I was glad to hear she was in such great company. Go Sister!
I only caught Brandi for a second … she seemed to avoid me … mumbling something about her diet, but then later she came in to get on the scale. I was glad she did that. She asked me how I did … I told her about only being at the 11 pound loss mark. I don’t think she let that sink in, because she was worried about her weight. As it turned out, she was at like 214, instead of her last low of 216.
That was very good for her … She said she wasn’t perfect, but she had tried to keep herself away from sweets. She also did a poached egg for breakfast, and a slimfast for lunch or dinner. She had the jello, popsicles, and fudgicles around for snacks AND she was involving her MIL. For dinner she was trying to eat more reasonably.
She stated again that snacks like chips and such were her downfall. I think in all though she was pretty proud of herself. I was proud of her too. Go BRANDI!
The majority of time this morning was in talking/listening to Candice talk about her
long break. She had a lot of excitement. She was out almost each day with her friends so I was happy for her. I think she had some down time, which was inevitable and thought about Ryan some time, but I think more of the time she was happy. She didn’t talk about the time she had spent with her mother too much, but I’m thinking that went ok, just didn’t meet the happiness scale of being with her friend, Andrew. Oh yeah, and she went to the zoo at night too – she went on a different night then the night Rich and us went … Pswhoo! Close call. I think she is happy to be back though too. I’m glad she’s here. I enjoyed listening to her. She’s a good story-teller.
I saw Margarita for a moment and Theresa, but neither of those contacts was for more than a moment. I did get hi’s from three more clients that were being friendly. One of them was from the client who had given me the scarf. I made sure to say thanks and I told her I had worn the scarf to the zoo. Actually, Rich had, but that seemed close enough. It was a very thoughtful gift.
Hmm, just had a break in things. It’s now 10 am. The last notation was that there was an on-line note that my batteries were running low on my mouse. I think we’re prepared. Whoops it’s on our keyboard – more dangerous … Pwshoo … pulled out a full package of batteries. We’re covered.
We had gotten some email too. One I had read on the no-smoking in Illinois that passed into law at the first of the year – it includes bars and restaurants amongst other things. I had asked Candice about it because she had been out, but she hadn’t known about it or noticed, so we sent her the article. We also sent Rich something on TV’s becoming extinct – the old ones without some kind of cable service. We didn’t read that one … Just figured that officially he’s now in charge of TV. I never understand all the jargon of that stuff. He knows I like my TV – sentimental and all … its my Dad’s ’84 model … or something close to that. *Sigh* Rich wants to bring in his TV, but we’re like … ours still works! Now it will be … do they ALL need to get replaced?? Yeegads!??
Then Sr called because Rosa’s computer has a black screen … she asked me to check into it with Gateway. We found out that it was under warrantee, but barely. The computer was purchased March, 2005 so expires February 29, 2008. He said that we could call back the same number, but we needed to run a check on it to see if it was a problem with the cpu or the monitor. I gave this information to Sr. She tried to make a big deal of it, but we said it was a small deal – just something that was hard for me because of the weight of the monitors and getting behind things to plug them in correctly. She has her experienced nephew coming tomorrow. I told her it would be easy for him to do. She was worried that it would wreck information in the computer, but we reassured her as will her nephew. I then gave her Gateway phone number to call and the serial number I had gathered from Rosa. So, I’m thinking now I’m safely out of that deal. I filled in appropriately, did my thing, and am on to the next thing. The nephew is excellent at following through. If it was going to break down – it did it just in time, though Sr. will worry about her computer bought at the same time as Rosa’s. I think all Gateways are built to self-destruct.
Ok, so it is Wednesday getting back to work … maybe we should use the washroom and
take our snack let’s check on that first.
Ahh some more work done. Candice had ready for me a copy of one of her client’s annual reports … so we read through that made a few minor changes, and signed.
That’s one more thing out of the way. I think I have to plan some serious stuff next. It’s officially 10:38 am. Candice was fooling around too in that she showed me some family pictures, but she’s sprinkling in work. What will we do next? Seems best to get back into some kind of system. I would like to start back up with the Tiger because of its efficiency. I think we had brought it for some reason though over to the big computer. I don’t know if the little computer got stable, or not.
Let me see.
Ok, it seems like the program is over here on the big computer … it was scheduled up to about 2 months ago when Keith was coming over for the first aid training. I don’t know if we were looking at it at that point.
Hmm, ok. We were examining it a little bit. We didn’t have any luck importing data from one database to another. That was a small problem – especially after we figured out we could get the database to drop the doubling, tripling, and quadrupling, that we’d put it through in the experimental stages. Whoops! Think with all that we could figure it out, but we weren’t willing to experiment with the big one. The thing is though we do have two databases … one called St. Rose Center and the other called research. We might want to be using them more faithfully. We had wanted to be over at the other computer, but now maybe it makes sense to be over here in a graduated way. This way we got the double screens to be journaling our efforts – that will calm the minds of those of us that need that to be done. BUT, we gotta be moving forward with the business.
I think what is happening is that the writing allows us to be interacting with each other and it gives us a means to communicate with each other so that we can read each others thoughts. At some times when someone goes off and just does something … it is too slow, but in processing – although perhaps a crutch, it feels the safest … later we’ll have to figure out the danger element. For now let’s think for a bit … it shouldn’t hurt … actually, it can be fun, right?
Ok, now the time is 11:14 am. We’ve got the AOL Screen in the background, the Word doc – on page 3, and the Tiger database – SRC. By chance we have up 2005-2006 Documents. Hmm, I wonder if there is a 2007-2008 Documents … let me check. Nope, that must have been a general survey year. Let’s see we need to look at other locations, then catch up on categories.
Look at cards on the desk
Check client files after filing from hot tray
Hmm, that’s the only thing that is occurring to us that we have to do. Wait there was a list before of annuals and surveys and such … let me look.
• Finish 3 annuals and goals from our list
• Let’s say two visits each to each of the five classrooms. 3 visits to the two I haven’t gotten in – well, maybe just two … time’s gone by
• Complete meetings for staff training, Thinking Group and Circles and any additional staffing for the trainee
• Finish Candice’s 5 Qnotes – hmm, maybe 6 … that will have to be checked
• Go through loose papers in our in-box
• Finish the staff training schedule
• Complete Qnotes for November and December
• Enter as much data as possible to the Chronological report
• Anything else that comes up
• Check on CARF advancement
Man I just found that list … it’s the only thing that was saved in the documents that sounded right because it had schedules in the title. I’m afraid to look at the words. I think I’m going to have a group this afternoon. I’d forgotten to think of that. Groups aren’t real hard right, just gotta be prepared. Better look at the list … Wow. That seems like the right stuff. The only thing is that list was saved on 11-30-07 … that means that we had all those things to do throughout the month of December and we didn’t do anything?!! Ok, calm down – some perspective … there was only 3 weeks. Oh yeah that makes things better. Ok, now we are going to need to fix things there a bit, k? Those annuals are just aching us. AND, the Qnotes.
It’s almost lunch time. We’re doing good … we’re at least facing work … this is good, right? Ok. Now we’re going to take the next step. We’re going to need eating lunch this half hour and we’re going to need preparing for the group that starts in half an hour.
Ok ... just a minute now ... everything is done and ready ... i'll be back in about an hour ... take care.
Pswhoo … all that is done and more. It is now 1:52 pm and I’m just settling back down. Rich was gone, but now he is back. I think he’s going soon. There was some kind of note about meeting him back home for a little bit but that it is his card night so he’ll be going out. I forgot it was the first Wednesday of the month. It’s ok … I know that he likes to get out with the guys. He was with family on the first – spent some time with Bob, but hasn’t been out since Friday. It’s just a thing some guys gotta do. Better him than me.
I’ll get back to group in a minute, but do you know that I just opened my mail from upfront and there was a nomination to be in the Cambridge Who’s Who for women?
Really!! I can’t believe I was considered. It was specifically for women in education too. That is the flattering part. I just can’t believe it. I am thinking that it had something to do with either my work on the educational psychology masters program, or the enrollment with the association for supervision and curriculum development. I’m not sure … I was straight up with them. The form was just one side and only 1/3 of a sheet of paper. Just a few basic questions. I don’t know how hard it was to make the list. I had the impression they were looking for a couple thousand people – I’m sure there are tons out there and I won’t be accepted, but it was an honor to be considered. Wow … I’m getting up there! It should be saved for people who are professors and in schools and such. Man … it still was cool – and it was the kind of thing you don’t pay to be in. That was something. Ok, getting off on that now, but … it was cool. Rich was here so I called his name (Candice is here) and asked if he could take care of that. I showed him key areas … and he gave me a slight smile - *sigh* he was still in business mode. We’ll talk of it later, I’m sure. Just a little proud!
There was a few other things in the mail – I’m still being mailed to resubscribe to the AAIDD – which is one of the two major DD organizations. The other one was only $15 I think and at the time I couldn’t afford it. This one is $160 plus $20 to cover my two interests of psychology and education. Yeeks. The only one I’m in officially is the one mentioned above ASCD, and then on the lower end the video place is after me to sign up again. I guess those companies are really in need of old business. They must figure we had them once, we can pressure them back. Think is I really want to have AAIDD and the ARC, not to mention ASCD. I think I would be happy with those three. Often though they are more a status thing. I have no idea what it would take to be high fluting, but these are the ones I know about … hmm, there was one more that I thought of as interesting … something to do with the education – hmm, can’t seem to find that now. It was a backdoor lead-in from the IL State Board of Education. Maybe it will come up again later.
I guess what I have to do is do something realistic about the money … I haven’t paid bills for awhile. Just the hot ones where they were turning off services. I haven’t the faintest how much money is in there, but that the money was supposed to be for … shoot … It was for paying the rent and car … I better do that now … forgot … hope the money is in there proper … that other stuff would cost an extra $200. I don’t know or think I have it. Better do some checking.
Ok, the first part was simple … there was $1648.60 in there … we spent $900 for rent and $394.97 for car payment, which was like something 1200 leaving me with $353.63 in the account. I guess it wouldn’t be a good time to take out $200. Lucky I looked … see I can do this money thing. I don’t know what is pressing, but I think there is going to be trouble, because I think those school loans are going to be due this month.
posted by Ann Marie @ 1/02/2008 04:04:00 PM
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